United States AttorneyNorthern District of Iowa

Oelwein Felon Sentenced to More Than Five Years' Imprisonment for Possession of Stolen Handguns

A convicted felon who was found in possession of two stolen handguns was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison. Michael Rohrick, age 28, from Oelwein, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 24, 2014, guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

In a plea agreement, Rohrick admitted that on November 1, 2013, when law enforcement officers searched his house while trying to arrest him for an outstanding warrant for distributing drugs, the officers found a stolen, loaded 9mm handgun, a scale, empty baggies, baggies containing marijuana, and drug use paraphernalia. Three days later officers surrounded Rohrick in a cornfield. While speaking with him in an attempt to get him to surrender to officers, he reported that he had another handgun hidden in his house. Officers again searched his house and found a stolen .327 caliber revolver hidden in a vent. Rohrick was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was a convicted felon, having been convicted in 2009 in the Iowa District Court for Fayette County of burglary.

Rohrick was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Rohrick was sentenced to 71 months’ imprisonment. The court based the sentence, in part, upon Rohrick’s serious criminal history, which included multiple burglary convictions, and because he possessed the stolen handguns in connection with drug trafficking. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Rohrick is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and was investigated by the Oelwein Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.